By LAURA HUMBLE – STAFF WRITER
Centre was full of school spirit for Homecoming weekend on Nov. 1-2. Centre alumni returned to their alma mater to reminisce with each other and enjoy a weekend full of activities.
For the week leading up to Homecoming, the Student Activities Council (SAC), the Student Government Association (SGA), the Student Life Office (SLO), and the Alumni Office hosted a series of events that collectively made up Centre College’s Homecoming Spirit Week.
Events included dressing up on Dress for America Day on Monday, It’s Twin Day on Tuesday, Wear Your Favorite Jersey Day on Wednesday, Channel Your Inner Superhero Day on Thursday, and Gold and White Day on Friday. These groups also hosted C6H0 trivia, a pep rally in Cowan, a banner competition, and The Wild Feathers Concert in Chowan after the games on Saturday.
“SAC decided to put on Spirit Week to get the Centre community pumped up for Homecoming and to let everyone have a little fun and show off their school spirit,” senior and SAC President Chris Elmlinger said. They also created new t-shirts for the event, which were available for $5. “Our advisor, Sara Muren, as well as our PR Director, Sandy Zhang, designed the t-shirts we [sold] outside of Cowan,” Elmlinger said.
School spirit was in abundance all week. Patriots, twins, sports enthusiasts, and superheroes rocked the campus. The other events were well attended too, such as C6H0 trivia, which tested students’ knowledge on Centre history and culture. “I really enjoyed trivia. I surprised myself with how much I knew; I guess that happens when you’ve literally grown up hearing about the legend of C6H0. It definitely put me in the Homecoming spirit,” sophomore Tory Parker said. A Centre legacy from both her parents, Parker was full of school spirit all week, sporting the jersey of her favorite team, the West Virginia Mountaineers, and channeling her inner superhero, Spiderman, on Thursday.
All of this was leading up to the big day on Saturday. People arrived early in the morning to set up tents for tailgating at the football game between Centre and Hendrix, and to visit old friends and haunts. The soroities and fraternities held popular open houses and cookouts with corn hole and football that brought together alumni and current Greek members for food and festivities.
The Centre Alumni Office hosted services and events such as golf cart tours, reunion luncheons, dinners, and receptions, a book signing, and a faculty art reception.
The stands at the football game were a sea of black and gold as fans showed up undeterred by the weather.
The game, which was played through rain and even hail, ended in victory for the home team. At half-time, seniors C.J. Donald and Jennifer Hormell were named Homecoming King and Queen.
“I feel so thankful to be given this honor,” Hormell said. “I was so happy to even be given the opportunity to be on Homecoming Court with some of the outstanding people that I look up to the most, at the school we all love so dearly.”
It was also a weekend full of music. On Friday night, American Idol winner and country singer Scotty McCreery, performed at the Norton Center to a packed crowd. On Saturday night, SAC hosted the Nashville-based, indie-country band, The Wild Feathers, live in Chowan.
The most rewarding aspect of Homecoming was the ability to see old, familiar faces. “I really enjoyed spending time with the swimming alumni on Friday by having a goofy meet and a pig roast. Seeing even more familiar faces on Saturday and hearing the alumni reminisce on all of their fun memories made me appreciate Centre even more,” sophomore swimmer Kirsten Larson said.
Homecoming 2013 served as a reminder for the joy Centre College gives to its students that extends beyond graduation. It was a time for people to remind themselves what Centre really means.